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Flanked by Mr. Rutte of the Netherlands and Geert Bourgeois, minister-president of Flanders, left, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed looks on as Georgia Tech signs a new memorandum of understanding with European logistics institutes.(image/jpeg)

The three-day mission focused on financial technology, cybersecurity and what the delegation called “smart” logistics, sectors where each locale lays claim to world-leading assets. Atlanta has the busiest airport in the world, while Amsterdam has Schiphol Airport, a model for connectivity and airport-led economic development. Georgia has the Port of Savannah, while the Netherlands and Flanders have the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp, respectively, two of the leading gateways for goods coming into Europe, especially via Asia.

But Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told Global Atlanta that the trip was as much about learning from Atlanta’s people and institutions as anything else. Entrepreneurs in metro Atlanta, including Dutch companies that have made it in the region, have important lessons for the firms that traveled with him, he said.